Over P40,000, valuables lost in separate robbery

CEBU, Philippines - With only a few minutes apart, robbers struck a gasoline station in Balamban and robbed a pawnshop manager in Carmen Tuesday, carting away more than P40,000 cash and valuables.

Four men onboard two motorcycles reportedly robbed FB gas station along Barangay Aliwanay, Balamban town at 6:45 pm and fled with P20,000 and two cellular phones.

Initial investigation showed that the robbers acted as customers and even asked one of the gasoline attendants to fill their motorcycle tanks with gas.  It was at this juncture that the robbers pulled out their firearms and declared a holdup. 

Gasoline attendants Santiago Rabanes, Benson Taña, and a certain Resley did not move as the guns were aimed at them.

Two of the robbers then opened the cashier’s booth being manned by Dinesber Borja and forcibly took the P20,000 cash, which was the day’s sales of the establishment, and the workers’ cellular phones.

The robbers then sped off towards Cebu City through Transcentral Highway.

The victims described the robbers as having small builds and black complexion and with heights ranging from 5’1” to 5’6.”

The get-away motorcycles used were a Suzuki Raider and a Honda Wave 100cc with temporary plate number 2386-PD according to the victims.

A few minutes later, the manager of M. Lhuillier Pawnshop-Carmen Branch was robbed by two motorcycle-riding men along Barangay Luyang, Carmen.

Jocelyn Garbo, a resident of the barangay, was driving a motorcycle when the robbers, aboard Honda XRM motorcycle, blocked her way, said Police Officer 3 Roger Delan of Carmen Police.

The robbers told Garbo not to shout then grabbed her bag containing a Lenovo tab worth P10,000, Lenovo cellular phone worth P8,000 and wallet with P2,000 cash and assorted cards.

The victim, through the police’s list of photos of criminals, reportedly identified one of the robbers as Dexter Pelari, a resident of Barangay Guinsay, Danao City.

The police recovered the robbers’ motorcycle in a secluded area in the same barangay. — (FREEMAN)